Shloka 11

Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)

Devanagari script

अन्तवन्ति प्रधानानि पुरा श्रेयस्कराणि च । स्वकर्मनिरतो लोके हा॒क्षर: सर्वतोमुख:,पहलेके जो कल्याणकारी और अमड्रलकारी शुभाशुभ कर्म हैं, वे ही प्रधान होकर इस शरीरका निर्माण करते हैं। इस शरीरके साथ ही उनका भी अन्त हो जाता है; परंतु जगतमें अपने वर्णाश्रमोचित कर्मके पालनमें तत्पर रहनेवाला पुरुष तो हर अवस्थामें सर्वव्यापी और अविनाशी ही है

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca — Antavanti pradhānāni purā śreyaskarāṇi ca | svakarmanirato loke hy akṣaraḥ sarvatomukhaḥ ||

Translation

ユディシュティラは言った。「かつて福をもたらした主要な因も、ついには終わりを迎える。だがこの世にあって、自らに定められた務め—ヴァルナ（varṇa）とアーシュラマ（āśrama）にかなう義務—の遂行に専心する者は、いかなる境遇にあっても不滅である。四方に遍く在り、あらゆる方角に面する者なのだ。」

Word by Word

अन्तवन्तिhaving an end, perishable

प्रधानानिchief, primary

पुराformerly, earlier

श्रेयस्कराणिbeneficial, conducive to welfare

चand

स्वकर्मनिरतःengaged in one’s own duty

लोकेin the world

अक्षरःthe imperishable (one)

सर्वतोमुखःhaving faces on all sides; all-pervading

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly causes and results—even those that seem beneficial—are finite; enduring stability is found in steadfast commitment to one’s rightful duty (svakarma), which aligns a person with the imperishable (akṣara), the all-pervading reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in a reflective, philosophical mode, contrasting perishable worldly determinants with the imperishable principle associated with dutiful living and spiritual constancy.